Curling is a game played on ice by sliding curling rocks or stones across an ice rink towards a target zone or circle. A curling rock is a round stone up to 36 inches in circumference and weighing up to 50 pounds. The stone is flattened at the top and bottom and is provided with a handle on the top to enable a player to push the stone across the rink towards the target zone.
Ice curling is conducted on a sheet of ice that is 146 feet long and 14 feet 2 inches wide. The surface of the ice is pebbled to decrease friction between the bottom of the stone and the ice surface. These pebbles are formed by a sprinkler which sprays water on the ice to create the pebbles. The ice is divided into sections or end zones, so that the stones are delivered from one end towards another and vise versa. A hack is an indentation in the ice providing the player with a stable foot rest to push the rock towards the other end. Hacks are located at each end of the ice. Players are provided with sixteen curling stones and sweeping brushes or brooms for each player. The game is played by two teams each consisting of four curlers. Each curler delivers two rocks towards each end.
During the game, if it is desired to make the curling stone move further down the ice, the sweepers, usually two, will sweep or brush in front of the stone. This sweeping or brushing action is intended to melt the tips of the pebbles and thus reduce friction to allow the rock to move further towards the target zone. It is estimated that good sweepers can have a rock move twenty to thirty feet farther.
The problem associated with the existing game of ice curling, is that special conditions are required to maintain the ice surface to a near ideal condition. First, indoor rinks must be provided with special cooling equipment to maintain the ice at the right temperature. In addition, special sprayers are required to provide the pebbles on the ice surface. These ideal conditions can only be maintained inside a building having a costly refrigeration system, piping, and sprayer. After each game, the pebbled surface of the curling rink has to be re-sprayed to reform the pebbles damaged in the previous game. In addition, although the sport can be played all year long, it is limited to indoor facilities having the above mentioned cooling equipment.
Accordingly, a need exists to provide a new curling sheet and stone which is virtually maintenance-free and can be played year round outside and inside a building.
The above requirements can be met by the use of the curling sheet and stone of the present invention.
In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a curling sheet and stone which requires no refrigeration system or piping normally associated with ice curling.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a curling sheet and stones which can be played year round indoor or outdoor.
In accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an artificial curling surface comprising a rectangular-shaped sheet of plastic, said sheet of plastic having a target zone and a hack at each end thereof, said sheet of plastic having a pebbled surface adapted to emulate ice pebbles on a sheet of ice on a curling rink.
In accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a curling rock for use on a low-friction, high-density plastic sheet, said curling rock having a replaceable gliding face made of low-friction plastic of a density lower than the density of said plastic sheet.
According to a third embodiment of the present invention, there is provided in combination, an artificial curling surface comprising a rectangular-shaped sheet of plastic, said sheet of plastic having a target zone and a hack at each end thereof, said sheet of plastic having a pebbled surface adapted to emulate ice pebbles on a sheet of ice of a curling rink and a curling rock having a replaceable gliding face made of low-friction plastic having a density lower than the density of said plastic sheet.